Jonassen and Rana set to be among top targets at WPL 2027 auction

After 63 player retentions last month and one recent trade, the WPL 2027 auction is all set to take place on October 28 in Kochi. The five teams now have to fill a total of 27 slots (including seven for overseas players) in the mini auction with an overall purse of only INR 8.15 crore to spend. A total of 146 players have registered for the auction, of whom 27 are overseas, including six from Associate teams. Some of the top names in the auction are Sneh Rana from India, Deandra Dottin from West Indies, Chamari Athapaththu from Sri Lanka, Sophia Dunkley from England, and Sophie Molinuex and Jess Jonassen from Australia.

UP Warriorz go into the auction with the most slots (eight) to fill and with the biggest purse, of INR 3.75 crore. Two-time champions Mumbai Indians have the smallest budget left (INR 0.90 lakh) but have as many as six positions to fill. Each team can have a maximum of 18 players, of which six can be overseas, with an overall purse of INR 15 crore. Here's how each team is shaping up ahead of the auction.

Players retained: Ashleigh Gardner, Beth Mooney, Sophie Devine, Renuka Singh Thakur, Bharti Fulmali, Kashvee Gautam, Kanika Ahuja, Tanuja Kanwer, Georgia Wareham, Anushka Sharma, Happy Kumari, Kim Garth, Yastika Bhatia, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Jintimani Kalita.

Slots left: Three (one overseas)

Money spent: INR 13.75 crore; Purse remaining: INR 1.25 crore

What they need most: Giants should make every effort to bring in another bankable four-overs option in Jess Jonassen to complete an already formidable bowling unit. If the budget allows, an additional back-up seamer would also be useful, given Kashvee Gautam and Renuka Singh are injury-prone. However, with Jintimani Kalita and Happy Kumar already in the mix, it isn't a necessity.

Potential big targets: Jess Jonassen.

Players retained: Meg Lanning, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Ecclestone, Deepti Sharma, Harleen Deol, Kranti Gaud, Pratika Rawal, Shikha Pandey, Shipra Giri, Simran Shaikh.

Slots available: Eight (three overseas)

Money spent: INR 11.25 crore; Purse remaining: INR 3.75 crore

What they need most: UPW come into the auction with the biggest purse and will look to prioritise batters who can give them brisk starts. Having released Kiran Navgire, they will be keen to find an opening partner for Meg Lanning.

UPW finished last in 2026 and head coach Abhishek Nayar said they wanted their batters to be more aggressive this season. With Deandra Dottin and Chloe Tryon released, they could set their sight on a number of allrounder options in Grace Harris, Jonassen or Annerie Dercksen, who can provide batting flexibility and chip in with a few overs.

UPW also let go of two wicketkeepers, Shweta Sehrawat and Amy Jones, and might look to buy Sehrawat back for less than INR 50 lakh while also exploring other options such as Uma Chetry or G Kamalini. They might target players like Parunika Sisodia and Sneh Rana to strengthen their spin department, having released Tryon and Asha Sobhana.

Potential big targets: Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Uma Chetry, G Kamalini, Sneh Rana, Parunika Sisodia.

Players retained: Melie Kerr, Hayley Matthews, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Nicola Carey, Amanjot Kaur, Harmanpreet Kaur, Rahila Firdous, S Sajana, Sanskriti Gupta, Shabnim Ismail, Vaishnavi Sharma, Tara Norris (traded from UP Warriorz).

Slots available: Six (zero overseas)

Money spent: INR 14.10 crore; Purse remaining: INR 0.90 crore

What they need most: The biggest slot to fill for MI is of a wicketkeeper. They let go of G Kamalini recently, which meant Rahila Ferdous was the only keeper among their retained players. MI could either buy Kamalini back for cheaper - as retaining her would have cost them INR 1.10 crore - or look for a more proven name since Kamalini hasn't quite hit her straps in the WPL yet.

Apart from her, MI primarily let go of players who hardly got any game time in WPL 2026, which means they need to stock up on more back-up options such as a quick bowler and a couple of Indian spinners.

MI traded in USA left-arm quick Tara Norris recently from UPW, which means all their overseas slots are filled up.

Potential big targets: G Kamalini, Uma Chetry, Titas Sadhu, Shabnam Shakil

Players retained: Annabel Sutherland, Chinelle Henry, Laura Wolvaardt, Lucy Hamilton, Marizanne Kapp, Deeya Yadav, Jemimah Rodrigues, Mamatha Madiwala, Minnu Mani, N Shree Charani, Nandani Sharma, Niki Prasad, Shafali Verma.

Slots available: Five (one overseas)

Money spent: INR 13.90 crore; Purse remaining: INR 1.10 crore

What they need most: DC will also be in the hunt for a wicketkeeper-batter who slots straight into the XI, but their problem is much bigger than MI's. Lizelle Lee did the keeping job last season for DC and was also their highest run-scorer, but she has not put her name in the auction list this time. Given that she hammered 46 fours and 11 sixes while opening with Shafali Verma, DC have big shoes to fill but not a very big purse. They might have been tempted to go for Chamari Athapaththu, but the keeping slot would still remain vacant. They also let go of Sneh Rana last month, and the offspinning allrounder will be among the top Indian names in the auction.

Potential big targets: Jess Jonassen, Sarah Bryce, Uma Chetry, Babette de Leede

Players retained: Ellyse Perry, Georgia Voll, Lauren Bell, Nadine de Klerk, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Prathyoosha Kumar, Prema Rawat, Radha Yadav, Richa Ghosh, Sayali Satghare, Shreyanka Patil, Smriti Mandhana.

Slots available: Five (two overseas)

Money spent: INR 13.85 crore; Purse remaining: INR 1.15 crore

What they need most: RCB's core is intact. But having released D Hemalatha and Gautami Nayak, RCB could go for an Indian middle-order batter like Tejal Hasabnis. With Ellyse Perry confirming her availability for WPL 2027, Georgia Voll might open with Smriti Mandhana. With two overseas slots remaining, they could go for a bowler like Scotland's Kathryn Bryce, who could be a back-up for Lauren Bell and also contribute with the bat.

Potential big targets: Kathryn Bryce, Milly Illingworth, Tejal Hasabnis, Ayushi Soni, Vrinda Dinesh, Charli Knott, G Trisha